Control and the “Good Life”
Primary and Secondary Control as Distinct Indicators of Well-Being
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21209235 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Erik G Helzer (0000-0002-1667-3723, Johns Hopkins University, corresponding author), Eranda Jayawickreme (0000-0001-6544-7004, Wake Forest University) |
| Year | 2015 |
| Volume | 6 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 653-660 |
| Publication date | 2015-08-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Social Psychological and Personality Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1948-5506 • E-ISSN: 1948-5514 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/1948550615576210 |
| OpenAlex | W2008804236 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 10 |
| References cited | 44 |
How does a sense of control relate to well-being? We consider two distinguishable control strategies, primary and secondary control, and their relationships with two facets of subjective well-being, daily positive/negative affective experience and global life satisfaction. Using undergraduate and online samples, the results suggest that these different control strategies are associated uniquely with distinct facets of well-being. After controlling for shared variance among constructs, primary control (the tendency to achieve mastery over circumstances via goal striving) was associated more consistently with daily affective experience than was secondary control, and secondary control (the tendency to achieve mastery over circumstances via sense-making) was associated more strongly with life satisfaction than primary control, but only within the student sample and community members not in a committed relationship. The results highlight the importance of both control strategies to everyday health and provide insights into the mechanisms underlying the relationship between control and well-being
Developmental psychology · Everyday life · Happiness · Life satisfaction · Perceived control · Psychotherapist · Sense of control · Subjective well-being · Well-being · Behavioral Health and Interventions · Mental Health Research Topics · Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction · Psychology · Social Psychology
The Relationship Between Self-Regulatory Strategies, Daily Stress, and Negative Affect in College Females
Longitudinal and Age-Related Implications of Primary and Secondary Control for Hedonic and Eudaimonic Well-Being
Informing the Structure of Subjective Well-Being Using Preregistered Intervention Studies
Evaluating the Structure of Subjective Well-Being
Left Out But “In Control”? Culture Variations in Perceived Control When Excluded by a Close Other
Adjustment and acceptance beliefs in achievement settings
Education and mental health
The Happiness of Individuals and the Collective
Is Primacy of Primary Control Universal? Comparisons Between Ideal-Actual Levels of Control Strategies Among Youth and Emerging Adults Across Four Countries
Parents’ adjustment following the death of their child
The Cultural Animal
Personal goals, life meaning, and virtue
The Relevance of Control Beliefs for Health and Aging
A Review of the Tripartite Structure of Subjective Well-Being
Born to choose
Lacking Control Increases Illusory Pattern Perception
Cultural Practices Emphasize Influence in the United States and Adjustment in Japan
The desirability of control
A life-span theory of control.
Human Autonomy
Power and Choice
Responses to stress in adolescence
Primary and secondary control strategies for managing health and financial stress across adulthood.
Self-Efficacy
A Survey Method for Characterizing Daily Life Experience
The Satisfaction With Life Scale
Higher Income Is Associated With Less Daily Sadness but not More Daily Happiness
Illusory Control
The Dynamic Process of Life Satisfaction
Primary and Secondary Control Over Age‐Related Changes in Physical Appearance
The 24-item Brief Hexaco Inventory (BHI)
Income and well-being
Time frames and the distinction between affective and cognitive well-being
Revisiting the agentic shift
Wealth and happiness across the world
Secondary control reviewed and defined
Control deprivation and styles of thinking
Changing the world and changing the self
A guide to constructs of control
The illusion of control
The Engine of Well-Being
The meaning in life questionnaire
Subjective well-being
The Pursuit of Happiness
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2016 - 2025 (10) |
| Highly cited | No |